The Firebird
by Wolf in the Walls
Summary: *Chapter Tree* She has been awakened... The world is dying, and Yugi is about to awaken something to rectify that...
1. Default Chapter

The Firebird 

Anthy: Wow…I'm sleep deprived.

Anshi: Yea…and?

Anthy: *Singing* 

Anshi: what now?

Anthy: Tokyo girl Tokyo girl 

Anshi: You got the moves to rule the world

Anthy: …

Anshi: ………………

Anthy: I'm gonna go now. 

Anshi: disclaimers… bla bla bla…

Anthy: You know it by now. 

Anshi: ~*~*~*~*~ = Dream sequence (entering or leaving)

@@@@@2

The Firebird

Flame One: Sight

I can… I can… 

_I can…_

_I can see! _

_My world. My creation. The humans are destroying my home. The world must be purified. Someone must awaken me. I will coat the world in flames. And I will start this world anew. _

_Someone will awaken me. _

_I can…_

_I can see…_

_I can see him. _

_I can see the pharaoh. _

_He is part of the destruction. He may call for a less polluted home, but he will unleash its eternal destruction upon this earth. My fire will destroy him once more. _

Yami Yugi stared at the haze that seemed to settle on the streets like a fog. He hated this. The pollution and destruction and no one was doing anything about it. He looked up and couldn't see the stars. 

"Damn." He said. 

"What's wrong?" 

Yami turned around and saw Yugi standing at the doorway. 

"Nothing's wrong." 

"Liar." 

"Okay. Okay. A lot is wrong." 

"Like…?" 

Yami looked out the window again.

"This world." 

Yugi looked confused. Yami explained. This world was so polluted that the real stars hide themselves at night, and no one can enjoy them. It didn't matter what some people were doing about it. The damage had been done. 

"I see." Yugi said. 

Yami stared back out the window again. Maybe tomorrow he would duel and make himself feel better. He sighed and crawled onto the air mattress that was his bed at the moment. He was gonna sleep and hopefully feel better in the morning. It was Summer Vacation, and there was nothing better to do. 

_I will get him… _

_He is asleep…_

_I will enter his mind…_

_I will enter his dreams… _

_He will not hear me…_

_I will enter his hikari…_

_He will hear me…_

~*~*~*~*~

_Yugi looked around. He was standing on a grassy hill, under a perfect, cloudless blue sky. He could smell lilacs on the breeze. He saw a mountain, and something was calling him to climb it._

_"This is the perfect world." He said to himself._

_Yugi noticed that the grass and plants and f lowers stopped at the foot of the mountain. He shook his head once and began the surprisingly easy climb. He looked behind his shoulder and what was once green was now brown and polluted. Smokestacks from cities poured black smog into the once blue skies. He shook his head and continued his climb. _

_There was no lava or magma in the crater at the top. But there was a small bulge, like a hill or a shrine or something. Yugi slid down the side of the wall to get a closer look. _

_The bulge was actually a bird statue. It was haunched over, head still towering a few feet over Yugi's head. Yugi stared in wonder. _

_~You…who are you…~_

_I'm Yugi Muto._

_~Have you seen…?~_

_Seen what?_

_~What happened to my world?~_

_It's polluted. People and factories and cities are destroying it._

_~What? How would you…someone so pure…live in a world like that?~_

_I have no choice. _

_~I need wake. Rise from my eternal slumber…~_

_Will you fix the world? _

_~Awaken me Yugi Muto.~_

_Call me Yugi. How do I wake you? And why would I want to?_

_~I will cleanse the world. Make it pure for you to live in.~_

_Am I the only one who is pure? _

_~Awaken me…~ _

_I…_

_~Let me rise from my slumber and cleanse this world.~_

_I…_

_~This world is dying. Zorn. Destruction. Death.~_

_I…_

_~Awaken me…~_

_I want to live somewhere where I can look up at the skies and see the real stars at night. _

_~Yes…~_

_I want to go to a river and not see bottles and paper floating in it._

_~Yes child…~_

_I want this world to be reborn. _

_~And so it shall be…~_

_The stone bird moved. Its eyes opened and the stone around it crumbled and fell away. Yugi stepped back. The bird was completely composed of fire and magma. It did not harm Yugi though. The fire did not burn. It flew to the top of the mountain and waited for Yugi to come. Yugi was taken aback by the sheer size of this bird. It screeched once it saw the pollution and destruction of her world. _

_With one sweep of its great wings, it was airborne, and washing over the world's cities and towns, leaving fire and ruins in its wake. Yugi watched in horror as he heard the screams of those dying. He ran down the mountain to find himself in the ruins of Domino. _

_"Yami! Yami!" _

_He saw Ryou, and Seto. They didn't seem to hear him. Yugi thought immediately that he was dead, and so were they. Someone put their hands oh his shoulder. He whirled around and saw that it was Malik. _

_"Come, but I can't promise that it'll be good."_

_Yugi looked at what they were crowding around, and he screamed. _

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Yugi! Wake up Yugi!" Yami cried, shaking him a few times. 

Yugi woke with a start. 

"What time is it?"

"Three AM. You were talking to yourself, and towards the end, you were screaming." 

"What was I talking about?"

"Something about cleansing the world and stuff like that." 

Yugi shook his head once or twice. 

"You're okay right?" Yugi asked.

Yami looked puzzled.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Yugi shrugged. 

"Never mind. Go back to bed." 

Yami said nothing, but gave Yugi one worried glance before crawling back into bed. If Yugi was concerned about something, then the outcome couldn't be good. 

^^^^^^^^^

Anthy: Chappy one! 

Anshi: Done!

Anthy: Review or I'll send the firebird after you!


	2. Waking Fire

The Firebird 

Anthy: There's more to the story line 

Anshi: and she will add it in this chapter.

Anthy: Yea…

Anshi: She's on crack right now.

Anthy: No I'm not.

Anshi: Then what?

Anthy: I was reading my newest Shonen Jump

Anshi: Justifiable.

Anthy: Shadi was harassing ppl.

Anshi: And Yami was spazzing.

Anthy: It was funny. 

Anshi: Shadi was gonna kill Anzu!

Anthy: But noooooooo! Yami has to go and save her.

Anshi: *rant*

Anthy: But I love him anyways. I'm gonna write now. 

@@@@@@@@

The Firebird

Flame Two: Waking Fire

The hikari… 

_He will warn the pharaoh._

_I must dispose of him. _

_But he is so familiar…_

_I feel…_

_I feel…_

_I feel like I have known him for so long. _

_Like he was…_

_Was…_

_Was my…_

Yami walked through the back roads of Domino, even though Yugi had begged him not to go anywhere alone. He ignored the boy's pleas however. He could take care of himself. Or so his pride told him. 

"My hikari worries too much. Whatever he saw was probably the result of lack of sleep." 

Just keep telling yourself that. 

Yami came to the remains of the warehouse that he and Yugi had been trapped in. There was nothing left of it except for a few charred and blackened 2x4s and random debris. Yami turned to leave. There was no reason for him to linger anymore. 

Don't leave me… 

Yami froze. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. His eyes widened as he slowly turned around, hoping that he was dreaming. His nostrils filled with the smell of smoke and he felt the burn of flames. Visions of a bird completely composed of flames danced before his eyes. He looked around and he saw Domino burning. He cried out in pain as claws raked across his back. Blood flooded out of his mouth as he fell, crumpled and bloody. A bird statue rose behind him, stone eyes staring down at him. 

_If you show your heart's weakness in this game…you will drown in the illusion._

"Yami!!" 

The boy so named looked up weakly. Yugi was there, staring in fear at him and the bird statue. Yugi knelt down next to him, carefully inspecting his wounds. 

_Get out of here boy. Leave the pharaoh to me._

"No! I won't let him be killed by you!!" Yugi cried. 

Yami looked from the stone bird to Yugi. What was going on between these two? Did he miss something? Yugi looked at the Sennen Puzzle, for a brief moment, and then at Yami…drowning in a pool of his own blood. 

"Yami, you wouldn't mind going back into the puzzle until I can get you back?"

Yami said nothing, no use arguing with his hikari now. But he was glad to be away from that bird. Yugi, now satisfied with having Yami in a safer place, spun on his heels and ran. 

I'm certain he is now. He must be… 

"Sweet mother of Ra. What in hell happened?!" Ryou cried, drawing Anshi out of the bedroom. Anthy poked her head out of the kitchen. 

"Someone finally try and kill him?" 

"Shut up Anshi. Yugi, what happened?" 

Yugi told them what he saw. The bird statue, the blood and the overall feeling of impending doom. The three stood in awe. Anthy snapped back into reality and looked at her dying boyfriend on the couch. 

"Okay! Half dead yami on the couch is slightly more important than figuring out what happened." Anthy said, rushing into the bathroom and dragging out her medicine chest. Everyone's eyes bugged. 

"**That's** your first aid kit?!?!" Yugi's jaw dropped. 

Anthy nodded. 

"Did you steal half of this stuff from a hospital?" Ryou asked. 

"No. I just needed it in case of any injuries. Yami, drink this." 

Anshi poured a small amount of a strange misty green liquid into Yami's mouth. He swallowed, a look of disgust washing over his face. Everyone looked at Anthy. 

"What **_was_** that?" Yugi asked. Anshi grinned. 

"Now **that** is a secret. It's my own special healing potion." 

Yami rolled his eyes. Great. His life was being saved and his wounds healed by the one person who wanted to kill him. He looked over at the thief-queen. She _was_ looking pretty pleased with herself. 

"I'll go make some tea." Ryou said, rising and heading towards the kitchen. 

"Green tea Ryou. The healing process is gonna being shortly." Anshi said. No one liked the sound of her voice. 

A bloodcurdling scream rose from Yami's mouth. His whole body was arched backwards and he was screaming in pain. Eyes fell on Anshi, still grinning. She pointed to one of Yami's open wounds. They watched uncomfortably as it seemed to pull itself closed. Anthy's stomach lurched and Yugi rushed for the bathroom. Yami's screams subsided and he fell back, limp and unconscious. 

"That. Was. Grotesque." Anthy said, trying not to break her glass. 

"And why did you use that Anshi-chan?" Ryou asked. Again, she grinned, 

"I've used it more than once on myself and I knew that it would work." 

"But why use something that caused _that_ much pain?" 

"It has to. It stretches your skin over the wound and fixes it so that it was never there. Once in a while you'll have scars." Anshi removed her fingerless gloves and the gold cuffs on her arms. There were plenty of scars. 

"Once in a while?" Yugi said, raising an eyebrow. 

"I get into a lot of fights." 

Yugi looked at Yami. Anshi cracked her knuckles. 

"Okay hikaris! Outta the room!" She ordered. Everyone looked at her. 

"Why?" 

"Wound check. I gotta make sure that all of his wounds healed." 

"There were only injuries on the **_top_** half of his body." 

"I still gotta check." 

Everyone reluctantly left. Anshi began. She carefully removed his dog collar first, carefully checking for any unseen wounds and scars. Then, having satisfied herself, she put the collar down and propped Yami up into a sitting position. After a few minutes of struggling, she pulled his shirt over his head and inspected him. There was a zigzagging scar tracing down his chest. Anshi nodded. That was normal. But there was a small, black, bird-shaped burn on his back, between his shoulder blades. 

"So…she's back. She's looking for her son." 
    
    _But in one morning we'll see the sun_
    
    _Bright shining morning dew singing_
    
    _They who will search will find the land_

Of evergreen      

@@@@@

Anshi: Well I liked it.

Anthy: Were you enjoying yourself?

Anshi: To an extent. 


	3. A Mother's Rage

The Firebird 

Anthy: People like me!

Anshi: We'll see about that.

Anthy: Readers! Watch out. I am not responsible for her.

Anshi: *goes through weapons*

Anthy: Mew?

Anshi: Ph33r 7h3 ph1r3

Anthy: Mew…

@@@@@

Firebird

Flame Three: A Mother's Rage

I… 

_I know it now…_

_My child…_

_I know why I was drawn to him…_

_And he, to me… _

_I wondered where…_

_The pharaoh didn't want to bring about the purification of the world…_

_He stole my son from me…_

_He stole the sacred ash…_

_Stole from the sacred fire…_

_I will get my son back…_

_He will learn…_

_I am…_

_I am that is…_

_I will awaken…_

Yugi and Yami left Anthy's apartment that night. Yugi couldn't help but wonder about the Firebird. The following day, he went to the library…trying to find all information on the Firebird. He ran into Anshi, the thief-queen, while wandering through the shelves of books.

"Looking for the truth?"

Anshi jumped, climbing the shelves like a ladder. She pulled a large leather-bound book off the shelf and landed safely beside Yugi. She set the book down on the table and began paging through it. Anshi reached over and grabbed Yugi by the arm and pulled him over. 

"This is what you're looking for." 

Yugi looked from Anshi to the book, and then at Anshi again. She suddenly pushed him away as the book burst into flames. It died into ashes and the two hurried out of the library. Yugi stuck close to Anshi, she knew things that he didn't.

"Hikari, do you know why I hate your yami so much?"

Yugi shook his head. 

"He killed me. That is why I hate him. I want revenge." 

They walked in silence. Anshi led him back through the alleys, back home. She wouldn't tell him. If the Firebird didn't want her to tell…she wouldn't. 

Thank you theif… You are wise not to tell him… 

Ryou walked into the clearing where the Firebird was. He stared at the stone form of the bird for almost ten minutes. He couldn't remember where he had seen it before. In his dreams maybe. But…

_He is one of the pure_

Ryou started to leave but stopped. He turned around and looked into the eyes of the Firebird. He walked up to it, sheltered under its giant stone wings. He caressed its cold stone beak in his hands. He felt tears slipping out of his eyes for reasons that he didn't understand. 

When he stopped crying and looked up, only then did he realize what he had done. 

The stone shell crumbled and broke away, starting at the Firebird's beak. There was a pile of dust forming as the Firebird awoke, stretching her great red wings and raining embers all around Ryou. Her eyes focused on Ryou for a brief moment and he stood, paralyzed by her magnificence. 

Then…she was gone…

Ryou Bakura whirled around and ran. 

"Calm down Ryou!! What happened?!" Anshi cried.

"It-It-it---!!" 

"What happened?! Say something Ryou!!" 

A silence hung over the two for a mere moment. Anshi looked into his eyes and jumped back. She knew. 

"This is bad." Anshi grabbed Ryou's wrist.

"Where are we going?"

"We've gotta warn them!" 

I am free… I have been awakened… I am… I am… 

_…alive…_

@@@@

Anthy: This was short.

Anshi: Review! 


	4. Eve of Destruction

The Firebird 

Anthy: I'm not saying anything.

Anshi: *glares at Ryou*

Ryou: What?! 

Anshi: Oh well…he'll die anyways.

Anthy: Shut up. I make no guarantees. 

Ryou: Gomen. 

Anshi: ^_^

@@@@

The Firebird

Flame Four: Eve of Destruction

_I am free!_

_I am alive!_

_I will purify the world. _

_I will get back my son._

_I will destroy the pharaoh._

_Zorn…_

"WHAT?!" 

"She's free. And Yami's marked now _where is he_???" 

"He's out…alone…" 

Anshi grabbed Yugi and the three ran. There was little time. The Firebird was alive and awake and out for revenge. Anshi knew things. All she really wanted was her son back. And Yugi just happened to be it. It's the eve of their destruction. And Yami was that main target. 

Yami sat down under a Sakura tree and closed his eyes. He didn't have the slightest idea what was coming towards him. His ears tuned out the cries of people searching for him. Nothing was wrong and nothing bad was gonna happen. 

Anshi found him. She jumped and kicked him in the chest with both legs. He cried in pain and looked at the thief-queen. She actually seemed distressed. Yugi and Ryou arrived soon after. 

"What's going on?" Yami asked, glancing at everyone's faces.

"Yami, she's awake." 

"Who?"

There was a slight pause in Yugi's voice. 

"The Firebird." 

Yami was on his feet in an instant. The four froze as several random people began shouting 'FIRE' over an over. They looked around. A few buildings in domino were burning. And rising from the flames was the Firebird herself. She was watching for Yami and her son. 

"We've got to do something!!" Yugi cried.

He started to run forwards but Anshi grabbed him. Yami ran past her, towards the city. Anshi was just concerned about keeping Yugi away. She shouted some orders to Ryou and they all headed for the ocean. 

Where… 

_Where is my son?_

Tell me Pharaoh… 

Yami wasn't doing too well. The Firebird had found him right away. Yami was currently surrounded by a ring of flame and the firebird was speaking straight into his mind. Embers flew at his eyes. He screamed in pain and dropped to his knees. 

How does it feel Pharaoh… 

_You stole from me long ago, and now I shall have my revenge…now…_

Where is my son?! 

Yami could not answer her. The Firebird racked one enormous talon across his back, almost cutting down to the bone. Anshi and Yugi and Ryou heard Yami's screams. There was nothing they could do now. Anshi was taking this into her own hands as of now. She jumped onto the streetlight and faced the burning wasteland that was now Domino.

The Firebird saw her and with one sweep of her great fiery wings, she landed in front of the thief-queen with only one thing on her mind. 

_Tell me thief. _

Where is my son? 

Yugi felt strange. He felt warm and his fears seemed to leave him. His eyes clouded over and wings of flame emerged from his back. He took flight and stood by his mother. Anshi and Ryou took a step back. Yugi blinked, looked around, saw that he was flying, and screamed.

"What's going on?!?!" He shouted. 

"Yugi…listen to me. I should have told you this earlier." Anshi said.

"Tell me what?!" 

"Who you really are." 

@@

Anshi: MWAHAHAHAAAAAAAAA!!!!!

Bastet: ph3y3r3b1rd. 

Anshi: Translation: Firebird. 

Bastet: Review. 


End file.
